NPR publishes then retracts erroneous report on Alito retirement

National Public Radio on Tuesday published a report stating that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had retired, then retracted the story minutes later. The report, which also aired on NPR’s broadcast, remained on the website for about five minutes. Some affiliate stations carried the report for a longer period.

Origin of the error The mistake stemmed from a misunderstanding of a statement made by Chief Justice John Roberts on the final day of the court’s session. Roberts had announced the retirement of several court employees, a customary practice after the final opinions are delivered.

Justice Alito’s name was not among those announced. The reporter had left the courtroom early and, upon hearing references to retirement announcements, concluded the statement referred to Alito.

An editor’s note posted by some NPR affiliates stated that the organization had erroneously published a story saying Justice Alito was retiring. NPR’s Editor-in-Chief later issued a statement confirming that neither Justice Alito nor the Supreme Court Public Information Office had announced his retirement.

NPR’s public editor wrote that the error resulted from the inadvertent publication of previously prepared copy drafted in anticipation of significant events.

Alito has served on the court since 2006.

Earlier this year, reports from Fox News and CBS indicated his intention to remain on the bench. The public editor concluded that the mistake would likely have limited effect on public perception, describing it as a brief error that flashed across feeds or radio broadcasts.